arhat (worthy one)

‘Worthy of Offerings,’ ‘Worthy One’; the final stage of the fourfold path to enlightenment according to early Buddhist schools. One who attains this level has eradicated all defilements, or afflictions, and has attained the cessation of suffering. Arhats are distinguished from buddhas by the fact that buddhas attain enlightenment solely through their own efforts, while an arhat practices the teachings of another.